ke''s POV


    my silver.


    Sunlight sliced through the Infekt canopy, ying hide-and-seek across my


    eaved between ancient usks. The fiberpeak henting moundi stretched ahead, rich with deer scent and fresh sail afterst night''s rain. Any other day, this would ve jolted my senses after, parked my wolf right to the


    Today, I might as well have been sleepwalking.


    A fat buck practically danced across our path mont beside me spoke volumes.


    wrapped prry-and Ipletely missed it before the animal vanished into the brush. Tylers disbelieving


    My bead was stuck at ckwood. Reying water sshing amund us. Sheets tangled between limbs. Axa''s green eyes darkening an I''d meed inside her, her lips forming my name like a sectel prayer. The memory bit so vivid. I could almost taste her-wild berries mixed with something uniquely her


    We hit a sun-drenched clearing, and I shifted without thinking, bones snapping and muscles flowing into human form with the casual confidence of someone who''d done this thousands of times, Tyler followed suit, fishing nur stashed clothes from behind a fallen log and tossing mine ment.


    "Well damn, Tyler smirked as I yanked on parts, "what happened to the big had Alpha who never misses? That deer practically offered its throat, and you didn''t even blink


    I grunted, not bothering to deny it. Tyler had stuck by me too long-any bullshit excuse would just confirm what he already knew.


    Thirty years I''ve known you," he continued, tugging on his shirt, and I''ve never seen you this distracted. Not since..." He left the rest unsaid. Not since Elizabeth


    I fumbled with buttons, avoiding his too-perceptive stare. Drop it. Reed."


    "Can''t do that," he shrugged,pletely unfazed by my warning tone. "I was there before anyone called you Alpha King, back when you couldnt even track


    wounded rabbit. If I can''t call you on your crap, who can?"


    I let out a breath, eyes drifting toward ckwood Mance, Even from here,


    something tagged at me-like fishing line hooked under my ribs, connecting me to that mark on her neck, that body Ed imed, that woman who''d somehow burmed under my skin when I wasn''t looking


    "It''s messy."


    4." I finally admitted, hating how pathetic it sounded. "She.


    "Life''s messy." Tyler said, leaning against a tree trunk. "Wolf Life''s meer. But some messes are worth jumping into face-fint."


    Binds chirped in the awkward silence while I wrestled with thoughts I hadn''t let myself fully form. "She made it crystal clear this moming-professional only," I said finally, "Better for everyone that way."


    "Better, or just safer?" Tyler shot back, eyes suddenly sharp. "Sometimes the best things are the ones that scare the hell out of you."


    A rumble built in my throat, but there wasn''t any real bite to it. "Enough," I said, mouth quirking despite myself. "Back to ckwood, Got actual problems to deal with today."


    "Right," Tyler''s grin spread like wildfire as he headed for the horses. Like pretending you''re not watching a certain green-eyed warrice kick your son''s bull all afternoon."


    I flipped him off, but hisughter chased me all the way to my horse.


    finally escaped the day''s political bullshit. The The moon was just peeking over the horizon, pairing ckwood''s imposing silhouette in siber when 1 second I pushed through the heavy oak doors, her scent hit me like a physical thing-that distinctive mix that was purely A-making my wolf pare restlessly under my skin. Lucas stood in the middle of the great hall, arma iling as he showed Ava some borate fighting move bed clearly invented on the spot. She watched with that half-smile that transformed het fare, making her look younger, soller Somehow. Sophia floated down the curved staircase, and trailing behind her-


    Steven.


    JA


    1 froze mid-step, binin stuttering to catch up. How the hell bad i forgotten my nephe today-something that hadpletely slipped my mind alterst night


    viting! The northern pack his had been scheduled to arrive


    developments.


    More surprising was watching Aca stillen when she spotted hits, like she''d alus forgotten this appointment, Steven, oblivious to the oddes drop, strede straight toward her with that easy confidence all Morgans seemed boom with. He pped her shoulder canally, and antjething hot and ugly trated up inside me, a warning growd building helme I could slim it back down.


    spun toward the window, needing a second to wrangle whatever tertitmial bullshit was happhing in my chest. Through the hall


    Steven''s animated voice telling Ava about some ancient northern pack legend. The story pulled that rare, throaty leigh from her the kind I''d only brand a handful of times, usually never directed at me.


    "Catch yots tomorrow, Ava said, gathering her training bag. She waved to Lacan and Sophia, then turned-and-our eyescked across the space. Something electric tapped between us. Her lips pasted like she might say something, anything, but then she just gave a quick nod and practically bolted, leaving me Feeling like scene had sucked all the oxygen from the mum.


    "Dinners


    ready.


    Wilson''s starchy voice cut to my thoughts.


    "Thank god. I''m starving, Sophia grinned, hending Loras found the


    Steven broke away


    dining room,


    way from the family migration, heading straight for me with an expression that set off every warning hell I had. My eyes fucked toward the dining room-definitely not the time or ce for whatever bomb he was about to drop.


    "Uncle ke, he spoke just above a whisper, making sure only I would hear, "aboutst-wight, I heard what happened:


    Every muscle in my body locked up, heart hammering against my ribs. Last night- Awa naked and willing beneath me, her scent permanently tattooed into my sheets-had someone talked


    "The condition you and Tyler found her in, Steven continued, his face darkening, "what those animals did to her..


    Relief hit me like a bucket of cold water. He only knew about the rescue. "We got there in time," I said tersely, not wanting to revisit those image


    "There''s no in time''.


    for something like that, Uncle, genuine emotion roughened his voice. If you''d shown up even ten minutester-


    "But we didn''t," I cut him off, "she''s safe now.


    "That''s exactly it," his eyes burned with an intensity I rarely saw in my easy-going nephew. "You don''t get what this means, Seeing her standing here today. still able to smile after what they put her through..."


    "You''ve got feelings for her," I stated tly, not bothering to wrap it as a question.


    Steven met my stare bead-on. "Never met anyone like her-builds walls ten feet high but still fights like hell for everyone else. Carries all that pain but doesn''t let it crush her."


    Something hot and possessive red in my chest, but I forced it down, keeping my face the nk mask expected of the Alpha King.


    "You should know," Steven suddenly dropped his voice even lower, "the full moon festival is approaching. I was thinking.....” he hesitated, uncertainty shing across his features, "I want to invite Ava as mypanion. Do you think she''d ept?"


    This by wie Hipna King